Handle assemblies



Sept; 1954 Q v. CHANARYN I M 3,148,905

\ HANDLE ASSEMBLIES Filed Sept. 5, 196 1 United States Patent Claimspriority, application Great Britain Sept. 7, 1960 Ciaims. (Cl. 292-3363)This invention relates to handles and more particularly to outsidehandle assemblies for vehicle doors.

One type of outside handle member for a vehicle door has a finger recesswith an upwardly facing mouth. In use this recess collects rain, snowand road dust and, although a drain hole is provided in the bottom ofthe recess, the recess tends to become undesirably full of foreignmatter.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for reducing theforeign matter collected in a finger recess of a handle member of theabove mentioned type.

According to the invention there is provided, in combination, a handlemember having a finger recess with an upwardly facing mouth, and a lidresiliently urged normally to close the mouth but displaceable into therecess thus permitting the fingers to enter the recess.

Preferably the lid is hingedly mounted adjacent an edge of the recessand resiliently urged to close said mouth. The handle member may bearranged for mounting on supporting structure, which may be a vehicledoor, with the interposition of a packing member of resilient materialand the packing member may have a flap which provides the lid. Where thelid is provided by such a flap the natural resilience of the materialresiliently holds the flap in position to close said mouth and resilientdeformation of the material occurs upon displacing the flap into therecess. Suitable resilient materials are, for example, rubber, polyvinylchloride and polyethylene.

The packing member preferably has a main body interposed between thehandle member and the supporting structure with the flap forming saidlid extending from the upper edge of the main body in a direction normalthereto. An upper portion of the main body may be thickened forstrengthening purposes immediately beneath the flap, and the free edgeof the flap may be provided with a reinforcing rib.

The invention will now be further described withreference to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a vehicledoor handle assembly in accordance with the invention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an overhead perspective view of the assembly as fitted tothe vehicle door,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a handle member of the assembly,

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section on the line IIIIII in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section on the line IVIV in FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a front view of a packing member of the assembly.

The assembly comprises a pressed metal handle member 1 having an outerface 2 which is arranged to extend generally parallel with the outersurface of a vehicle door when fitted thereto and a lower edge portion 3and side edge portions 4 extending away from the outer face 2 towardsthe door surface. Interposed between the handle member 1 and the doorsurface when fitted to the latter is a packing member 5 of resilientpolyethylene. The packing member 5 (as shown in FIGURE 5) has a mainbody 6 having an upstanding locating rib 7 extending 3,148,905 PatentedSept. 15., 1964 round its side and lower edges and contoured to closelyembrace the lower and side edge portions 3 and 4 of the handle member(as shown in FIGURE 1).

The main body 6 of the packing member 5 and the outer face 2 and edgeportions 4 of the handle member 1 define between them a finger recess 8(see FIGURE 3) having an upwardly facing mouth. This mouth is normallyclosed by a lid formed by a flap 9 extending from the upper edge of themain body 6 of the packing member and in a generally horizontaldirection normal thereto. An upper edge portion 10 of the main body 6 isthickened immediately beneath the flap 9 for strengthening purposes,this thickening being provided by a reinforcing rib slightly spaced fromthe flap 9. This rib does not extend along the whole length of the flap9 but is about threequarters of the length of the latter and arrangedgenerally centrally of said length.

Along the mouth of the recess 8 the handle member 1 is rolled inwardlyat 11 (see FIGURES 3 and 4) to provide a strengthened edge.

The flap 9 is shaped to close the mouth of the recess 8 and has, aroundits free edge, a downwardly directed reinforcing rib 12. The main body 6of the packing member 5 has two ribs 20 spaced inwardly from itsperipheral locating rib 7 and arranged to assist in locating the handlemember 1 within the peripheral rib 7.

The handle member 1 has formed therein a housing 13 for a door releasepushbutton and a threaded fixing lug 15. The main body 6 of the packingmember 5 is apertured at 16 and 17 respectively to pass the pushbutton14 and a fixing screw for the lug 15. The peripheral locating rib 7 isinterrupted at 18 beneath the pushbutton housing 13 to provide a drainaperture in register with a cut-away portion 19 of the handle member 1also provided for drainage aperture.

In use, the natural resilient of the flap 9 holds it horizontal to closethe mouth of the recess 8. However, finger pressure on top of the flap 9will pivot it about the upper edge of the main body 6 of the packingmember 5, thus permitting the fingers to enter the recess 8. When thefingers are removed the flap 9 returns to close the mouth of the recess3, thus restraining the entry of dirt and other foreign matter until therecess 8 is again required for door opening purposes.

I claim:

1. A vehicle door handle assembly comprising a pressed metal handlemember of trough-like form providing a finger recess with an upwardlyfacing mouth, and a packing member of resilient material with a mainbody for positioning between the handle member and the vehicle doorstructure and a flexible flap which extends from the upper edge of saidbody so that it normally adopts a position in which it substantiallycloses said mouth and from which it can be displaced into the recess toallow the fingers to enter the latter.

2. A handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein an upper portion ofthe main body is thickened for strengthening purposes immediatelybeneath the flap.

3. A handle assembly according to claim 2, wherein the free edge of theflap is provided with a reinforcing rib.

4. A handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the handle member isrolled inwardly at the mouth of said recess to provide a strengthenedupper edge for the handle member.

5. A vehicle door handle assembly comprising a pressed metal handlemember of trough-like form providing a finger recess with an upwardlyfacing mouth, formed witha housing for a door release pushbutton, and apacking member of resilient material with a main body portion forpositioning between the handle member and the vehicle door structure anda flexible flap portion which extends from the upper edge of said bodyportion so that it normally adopts a position in which it substantiallycloses said mouth and from which it can be displaced into the recess toallow the fingers to enter the latter.

References Cited in the file of this paten UNITED STATES PATENTS GeorgeMay 2, Sullivan Feb. 1, Roethel July 10, Michalsky Oct. 9,

1. A VEHICLE DOOR HANDLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PRESSED METAL HANDLEMEMBER OF TROUGH-LIKE FORM PROVIDING A FINGER RECESS WITH AN UPWARDLYFACING MOUTH, AND A PACKING MEMBER OF RESILIENT MATERIAL WITH A MAINBODY FOR POSITIONING BETWEEN THE HANDLE MEMBER AND THE VEHICLE DOORSTRUCTURE AND A FLEXIBLE FLAP WHICH EXTENDS FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF SAIDBODY SO THAT IT NORMALLY ADOPTS A POSITION IN WHICH IT SUBSTANTIALLYCLOSES SAID MOUTH AND FROM WHICH IT CAN BE DISPLACED INTO THE RECESS TOALLOW THE FINGERS TO ENTER THE LATTER.